The Price of Innocence
by demonic lupine
Summary: What happens when a surface elf who doesn't know of her own amazing powers is captured by Drow, meets up with a Drow who is not a Drow...and is sent on an unknown quest?
1. Capture

The woman whimpered as she felt the cool blade slide against her sensitive skin. With one hand clamped over her mouth, the most she could do was that. She could feel her life ebbing away as the knife cut deeper and deeper into her throat. She told herself that she wouldn't scream. She would not scream. A cold chuckle made her very heart stop beating.

"Still won't talk, Rina? You're surely a stubborn one, no? I will ask you _one more time. _Where did that pathetic, sniveling human and the elf go?" The woman smiled bitterly as the hand over her mouth was lifted and spat. She grabbed the hand which still held the cold steel buried in her throat and pushed it in deeper. Her body fell to the ground with a muffled thump. The brave woman named Rina was no more. A hiss of a curse was given as a shadow examined the woman's body and growled some powerful words under its breath. A sickly green grow surrounded the woman's body and the corpse soon vanished.

"I will not tolerate such embarrassment, Rina. I have sent your body and soul to the Eight Hell. You won't be treated warmly there..." A cold chuckle was given as the shadow melted into the others and was gone.

**- The Price of Innocence -**

"Sihri, we've been traveling for _miles. _Can't we please rest? You know we humans aren't as 'athletic' as you elves." The human clad in chainmail complained for at LEAST the eighty-first time. The cloaked figure that had been completely unnoticeable in the shadows snarled in frustration.

"Rilen, our head are worth 100,000 gold pieces, and you want to REST? Every single humanoid being that is capable of reading simple words lusts for our blood to spill. So just shut up and WALK, you weak human." The elf growled back. The human called Rilen shrank back and glared reproachfully at the figure of the cloaked elf.

"Well, pardon ME, Miss Elf. You know very well the capabilities of humans. You know the limits of my body better than me. You now that you can go on for months at a time while I can only go on for a few days, max. And when I'm traveling with you, Elf, I can only go for a few HOURS." Rilen argued.

"Rilen," The elf hissed, "YOU know the dire emergency of our situation. You know tha--Silence!" The elf named Sihri quickly melted into the shadows and the human darted for cover. In the silence, the two companions waited. Rilen trusted Sihri's keen ears. A moment later, he heard a faint footstep in the distance. They waited in the darkness of the night. Then, Rilen saw them. Dark shapes in the distance. He felt something nudge him and recognized Sihri's form beside him.

"Drow," She mouthed. Rilen's eyes widened. Drow? They waited for what seemed like hours, until finally, Sihri gave a curt nod. Rilen breathed a sigh of relief.

"What were they doing here?" He whispered.

"Probably a raiding party. Did you see a female amongst the males?" The elf answered and inquired in one. Rilen shook his head.

"I couldn't see anything." He answered. Sihri sighed and stalked out of the shadows. She reached under her cloak and unsheathed the battered-looking longsword that had been hanging at her waist. She then took a whip into the other hand and glanced at Rilen. He already had his war axe in hand. They slowly stalked forward, Sihri continually looking back at Rilen and scowling.

"Why do you have to make so much noise?" She said through gritted teeth. Rilen just rolled his eyes. This was no time for an argument. They came into a clearing and without a word started setting up camp.

"What if the drow come back?" Rilen whispered. Sihri shook her head.

"They were done for the night. I saw the bags and the treasure they held." She whispered back. Rilen nodded. They both then rolled out their sleeping mats and without another word, submitted themselves to sleep, unaware of the shadows surrounding their campsite.

That morning, Sihri felt something cool on her ankle. She shifted, mumbling something. She felt something hard underneath her. Opening one eye, she realized that she didn't recognize her surroundings. Sitting bolt upright, she realized she was in cell. The elf took a deep breath and stood up. When she realized that she had been stripped of all her weapons, armor, and items, and instead wore only a tunic, she gasped. She shifted and something rattled. She glanced down and realized she was shackled to the floor. It was dark. Amazingly dark, and she knew she was in a cave. There was the steady drip-drip of water. She held her breath, trying hard not to scream. Where was Rilen? What had happened? It was so dark...so dark...She sat down, holding her face in her hands.

"What happened? Was I really that careless?" She mumbled. Suddenly, she could feel it. A presence at the door. The elf jumped up, gripping for her longsword, then making a face once realizing it was gone.

"I see you're awake, stranger." A soft voice reached her ears. She couldn't see far. It was too dark.

"Who are you? Where is Rilen?" She hissed. She heard the door to her cell open and close and there stood a...

"Drow?" She yelped, scrambling back. An amused chuckle reached her ears. It was unmistakable. The black skin, the white hair. Sihri gulped.

_'What have I gotten myself into?_' She thought to herself.

.End Chapter

Kind of sort of my first fic...heh heh...I know I'm not that good a writer, but oh well. I love it anyway. It's also pretty short but I wasn't really sure whether anyone will read it...I wasn't sure whether Drow take any prisoners, and I'm pretty sure they don't, but oh well. Heh...Bye.


	2. Escape

'_What have I gotten myself into?_' She thought to herself. She started as she heard something—voices. Suddenly, the drow in her cell leapt at her. Fast. So fast that she had no time to react before his hand was over her mouth.

"If you want to live, surface Elf, do not make a sound once they reach you." A voice hissed into her ear. Then the drow was gone. Just like that. The voices got louder, and a key jangled. A word was spoken. A powerful word. Apparently, a key was not enough. Then, another drow entered the room. This one was covered in full plate armor that seemed to be made out of mithral. He held a crossbow, which was loaded.

"I see you're alive, Elf." A voice that made Sihri's very blood turn cold resounded in the cave. Suddenly, a thought whirled through her mind.

_'They shouldn't be able to speak my language...' _She remembered that from the days in her early childhood that were spent reading the book that her was her only possession. It was all about drow. She glanced around the room, and suddenly, an orb floated in. An orb that radiated a small amount of light, and, however dim it was, Sihri was glad. Soon after it had settled into the center of the small cell, a drow female entered.

_'A priestess of Lloth.' _Sihri realized. The female was dressed in chain mail, with a whip that sported snake heads—seven of them—in her hand. Her cruel smile made the Elf boil with rage.

"_Don't make a sound if you value your life." _A voice warned her. She bit her lip to keep from yelping and glanced around. It seemed the drow priestess who was staring at her and the guard with the crossbow had not heard it. It was the drow who had been in her cell earlier. He was communicating with her. Telepathically.

"_Follow my instructions," _His eerily echoing voice came again, _"If you want to live." _

"So, elf," The priestess snickered, "Would you like to know where your companion is now? Would you, elf?"

"What have you done with him?" Sihri almost shouted, but kept it in.

"We've sent him to the second hell." The drow priestess snickered again. Sihri could feel her blood boil. 'Lies!' She wanted to shout. She wanted to jump at the drow and strangle her. But a voice stopped her cold.

"_It's bait. Don't bite." _The telepathic voice echoed in her mind again. The priestess seemed to grow mad at Sihri's silence. She sped over and raised Sihri up by the collar of the tunic, slamming her up and against the wall.

"Why don't you say something, elf?" She snarled. Then, as suddenly as she had picked Sihri up, the drow priestess dropped her, backing out of the room.

"Come, Yulnan." She beckoned to the guard with the crossbow. The guard bowed and followed the Priestess out of the room. Only then did the elf dare to breathe.

"Good." The deadly quiet voice came from the drow who had first been in her cell. Only years of training as a warrioress kept her from yelping in surprise. The elf bit her lip and turned her head to fully face him, thinking of something to say.

"I believe these are yours." The drow, before she could say anything, held out his hands to her. He held her chain mail, cloak, pouch, longsword, and whip. She gratefully nodded, stretching out her hands to take the gear, but the drow suddenly pulled his hands back. She snarled, and then she saw the slightest glimmer of sadness in his eyes.

"Please, Elf, promise me that I will be able to travel with you." He said, his voice just above a whisper. Quite surprised at the request, the Elf struggled for a moment. For all she knew, he might be a traitorous back stabber. After a moment's hesitation, Sihri finally gave a curt nod and the Drow handed the weapons to her. After a relieved sigh as she put them on, she finally glanced at the dark elf.

"Who are you?" She finally worked up the nerve to ask.

"You may call me..." He paused for a moment, as if not sure what the answer was, "Tir." He finally said, hesitantly. Sihri glanced at him sharply, but he returned the gaze.

"That is not your true calling, Drow." The elf commented. The drow shrugged.

"You are Sihri." He said. The elf drew back, surprised.

"How do you know this?" She growled, her voice laced with suspicion. A shrug was given in reply. He turned away, and she knew he would not answer. He finally turned back, and held out a palm to her once more. In it was the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen.

"This was meant for you." The drow said in a whisper. Sihri was too breath taken to even be suspicious. She reached out with a shaking hand and gently touched the necklace, and, before she could blink, the drow had transferred it to her hand. She held it up before her eyes, studying and feeling its intricate designs. On it was a dragon, a red dragon, with talons of steel and eyes of pure emerald. Its scales were painted crimson, and it seemed to be holding a crystal orb in one paw. Its wings were unfurled to their full splendor. The chain itself was a work of beauty. The whole necklace was made entirely of gold, and the chain shone the purest light. It was light, and virtually indestructible. She held her breath as she felt the dragon's face with her fingers, following the way its tail curled down to rest by its left forepaw.

The drow watched this with a hint of a sad smile on his face, he then took the necklace from her and Sihri let him. He walked around to face Sihri's back, lifted up her hair, and instructed her to hold it in place. She did so. He then placed the necklace around her neck, and a blinding light took place in the cavern. Sihri almost cried out, but then it was gone. She whirled to face Tir with a questioning look in her eyes. She felt...different.

_-Who are you?- _She heard several voices in her mind. She gasped and plugged her ears, turning away from Tir. The Drow glanced at her, an amused expression on his handsome face. She whirled to face him again.

"What's going on?" She whispered heatedly. The voices were still there, asking her who she was, and why she looked like one who walked on two legs. The drow shrugged, a coy expression on his face.

"You will learn..."

"Great. Wonderful. Listen, dark _elf_, as of the time I fell asleep, I have been kidnapped by drow, my companion is gods know where, most probably dead, a priestess marched in and was seemingly enraged when I was silent—"She had gone white with fury, and would have continued, but the drow elf raised a finger to his lips.

"This is no place for a heated discussion. Now, you either follow me to safety, or have your heart sacrificed to Lolth." He walked—no—slunk across the tiny chamber and inspected the cell door, more specifically the lock, with interest. A smile spread across his face as he made a soft noise, somewhat like a very soft whistle, and the lock simply disappeared. Sihri glared at the drow.

"Any other surprise talents you want to tell me about, _Tir?_"

"Not for now."

"Excellent. Let's get a move on, then, shall we?" She hissed. He shrugged, letting her comments slip past him, and led her into the darkness outside of the small prison cell.


	3. Realizations

Eek. I really haven't updated in a while. I probably lost all of you whose wonderful comments persuaded me to update! Thanks to you all. Hopefully, you'll check back here and see that…another chapter of bad writing has been added! Muahaha! And, by the way, Tir is not what you think he is…And, with that cliffhanger, I present to you a chapter that took me almost FIVE WHOLE MINUTES to think of! Nah, just kidding. But seriously. Here we go.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own D&D. No, I don't own Drow. But I _do _own my original character. Which would be everyone in this story.

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They had been walking for gods know how long, creeping through the shadows. The Drow, at least, had experience. He had lived here all his life. Sihri, however, felt very out of place in the silent darkness of the Drow's native home.

"Tell me, Tir, how long will we be walking?" She couldn't walk in silence any longer, and she was starting to get footsore.

"For as long as we need to." The Drow tossed this comment over his shoulder, and continued on. Sihri felt her face contort into a snarl. This Drow was really starting to bother her.

They walked even longer, and just as Sihri was about to scream, Tir stopped all of a sudden. Sihri blinked. What was wrong _now_?

"Don't. Make. A. Sound." Tir whispered, and then he simply disappeared. Bewildered, the Elf simply stood there, frozen in place by his abrupt manner. She knew something was going on. In the distance, she could hear someone talking. Probably Tir. Another voice answered. Creeping closer, she strained her ears, trying to make out what was being said. Her eyes widened. They weren't speaking in any language she knew, but what sounded like Draconic. She grasped her longsword, and uttered a quick prayer to Ehlonna, the goddess whom she followed. Dragons? In the Underdark? And what was Tir doing talking to a dragon? If, indeed, it was a dragon…Before she could make up her mind as to whether or not to barge in upon the scene, Tir reappeared, stalking out from the shadows.

"Let's move. My companions have provided a shelter for us." He whispered, and began to move again. Sihri followed in silence, pondering. At last, they reached a tunnel with a bright light at the end of it. Sihri blinked.

"Don't Drow hate light?" She inquired. Tir made no response, instead walking out into the late afternoon like it was no problem. This worried Sihri. Worried her beyond the time when Ehlonna refused to answer her prayers. Last she heard, Drow were irritated by sunlight, and blinded as well.

"What's going on?" She hissed, stopping. Tir made no response. This irritated Sihri even more. "By the Goddesss, answer me!" She snarled, picking up a small rock and throwing it at the Drow's head.

"Childish antics will not get you an answer," Tir said, turning around and catching the rock. He let it drop to the ground. "You will find out soon enough, Little Elf."

"I'm not little." She muttered, nonetheless following the Drow when he started off again. After more trudging, they reached a cave.

"My friends readied this for us. We will stay her until daybreak tomorrow, and then we will set out towards the Stronghold." Tir knelt my the cave, picked up some of the dirt, rubbed it between his fingers, and nodded, satisfied.

"I think," Sihri stated stubbornly, "That it's about time that I learn what is going on here."

Tir stood up, brushing himself off. "I think so, too." With those words, he began to transform. Sihri's mouth opened wide, and she backed away.

Black skin turned into silver scales, red eyes turned into metallic-colored orbs, and he began to get larger. His clothes melted into his scales, and he grew a tail. And talons. When, at last, the transformation was completed, Sihri stared in awe at a Silver dragon.

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And here ends the third chapter, which I hope you will read. And review. Muahaha!


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